Guro
Côte d'Ivoire
Coastal West Africa
Male Face Mask (Zauli)
INV-5027
Guro
Côte d'Ivoire
Coastal West AfricaPossibly early or mid-20th century
Male Face Mask (Zauli)
Guro Côte d'Ivoire Coastal West Africa →guroArts of Africaafrican ArtCoastal West Africamaskswood
Date
Possibly early or mid-20th century
Medium
Wood, kaolin, and metal tacks
Dimensions
64.2 × 17.8 × 15.3 cm (25 1/4 × 7 × 6 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
The Art Institute of Chicago, Purchased with funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. Eugene A. Davidson
Forming a dance trio with masks known as gu and zamble (also on display in this case), zauli—or, “the Ugly”—is sometimes identified as zamble’s elder brother or father, and functions as his handsome counterpart. Zauli is everything that zamble is not: dirty, disorderly, brusque, rude, greedy, and somewhat funny. The mask is both admired and feared for its sudden mood swings and supernatural power. Even though Guro masks are now held primarily for entertainment, they were originally developed to divert evil.
Also notable
Works in the same vein
